During the past years, the interest in using mobile and landline/wireline computing devices in day-to-day communications has increased. Desktop computers, workstations, and other wireline computers currently allow users to communicate, for example, via e-mail, video conferencing, and instant messaging (IM). Mobile devices, for example, mobile telephones, handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc., also allow users to communicate via e-mail, video conferencing, IM, and the like. Mobile telephones have conventionally served as voice communication devices, but through technological advancements they have recently proved to be effective devices for communicating data, graphics, etc. Wireless and landline technologies continue to merge into a more unified communication system, as user demand for seamless communications across different platforms increases, which in turn creates more usage, and leads to more services and system improvements.
For example, with the advancement of Internet technologies and mobile telephony, users want to enjoy new communication services, which can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on any device, independent of the access network. Users expect services that support their mobility at home, on travel, and on business, and want to be able to use different end user devices. They expect service profiles tailored to the end user devices' capabilities, which enable them to switch easily between their private and business roles, i.e., from one device used at home to another device used at a business location. Moreover, users desire devices which enable easy and comfortable subscriber self-administration.
As more users, devices and services reach the market place, more networks, intermediate nodes, access nodes, routers, firewalls and the like are expected to come into use to support the delivery of services to the users and their devices. With this proliferation of networks, intermediate nodes, access nodes, routers and firewalls it is expected, at a macro level, that there will be challenges involved with access, authorization, security and identification. These challenges could be compounded by different operator networks, different generations of devices, the movement of devices between networks and trust issues between nodes and networks.
Accordingly, systems and methods for authenticating devices with networks under various circumstances are desirable.